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Dumont lifts Predators past Oilers

Feb 20, 2008 - 4:55 AM By Jim Diamond PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) - J.P. Dumont scored the game-winning goal with 1:55 remaining in the third period as the Nashville Predators rallied to defeat the Edmonton Oilers, 5-4, on Tuesday.

With the game tied at 4-4, Dumont corralled the puck from behind the net, skated out and wristed a shot past Mathieu Garon for his 22nd goal of the season.

"I went behind the net, saw the open ice and I just took it," Dumont said. "It hit the post and went in. It was a nice play by everybody on the ice."

Dumont's last four goals have been game-winning tallies for Nashville. He leads the Predators with seven game-winning goals on the season.

"It was a situation where we let J.P. Dumont get the puck in front of the goal, and he's going to put those in," Edmonton rookie Andrew Cogliano said. "We play every game with desperation, because every game is a chance to make the playoffs."

Scott Nichol scored the game's first goal at 9:27 of the opening period.

From atop the right circle, Dumont slid a pass to Nichol as he was crossing the blue line. Nichol met the puck in the high slot and fired a one-timer by the stick of Garon.

"Usually I have to scream and holler for the puck, but J.P. saw me there in the slot," Nichol said. "It was great."

The goal was Nichol's ninth of the season, a career high. He also had two assists in the game.

Dumont returned to the Nashville lineup after missing back-to-back games Saturday and Sunday with a flu-like illness.

Alexander Radulov doubled the Nashville lead at 14:19 of the first.

Radulov picked up the puck at the left boards and skated into the low slot where he snapped a wrist shot over Garon's glove for his team-leading 24th goal of the season.

Fernando Pisani halved the deficit with 1:11 remaining in the first.

Rookie Sam Gagner intercepted an atrocious clearing attempt by Martin Gelinas inside the blue line and passed to Pisani in the low slot. Pisani opened the pads of goaltender Dan Ellis with a fake, and then slid the puck through for his seventh goal of the season.

The Predators regained their two-goal advantage at 5:58 of the second on a Jordin Tootoo goal.

From the right boards, Edmonton native Vernon Fiddler passed to Tootoo above the right circle. Tootoo one-timed the puck by Garon for his eighth goal of the season.

Edmonton scored the next three goals in the span of 2:18 to take a 4-3 lead, with Denis Grebeshkov, Gagner and Marty Reasoner all scoring for the Oilers.

"We got down in the middle of the game, but we were able to battle back, show some character, and win it in the third," Ellis said. "We had some weak areas in our game, and they exposed them."

Grebeshkov's goal was the 8,000th goal in Edmonton franchise history.

"I wasn't very happy in the second period, we didn't defend very well," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "We were close to people, but we weren't defending them."

Predator captain Jason Arnott scored just 23 seconds after Reasoner scored to send the teams into the second intermission with the game tied 4-4.

"We scored four goals, and we should win when we score four goals," Edmonton left wing Robert Nilsson said. "We just need to find ways to win games."